JP7705340B2 - Saddle-type vehicle - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to saddle-type vehicles such as motorcycles.

A straddle-type vehicle (motorcycle) as shown in the following Patent Document 1 is known. This straddle-type vehicle includes an engine, a fuel tank that stores fuel to be supplied to the engine, and a canister that adsorbs evaporated fuel gas generated inside the fuel tank. The evaporated fuel gas adsorbed in the canister is supplied to the engine through a purge pipe.

Patent No. 5739292

The canister generally includes an adsorbent that adsorbs evaporated fuel gas and a housing that contains the adsorbent. In other words, the canister is a housing structure that has a space of a predetermined volume inside that contains a fluid.

It is desirable to protect the housing structure as described above from foreign objects that may fly into it while the vehicle is moving. However, if the housing structure is placed in a dedicated space covered with a cover or the like in order to protect the housing structure, this would result in an increase in the size of the saddle-type vehicle, which is not desirable.

This disclosure was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to prevent the size of saddle-type vehicles from increasing while adequately protecting the housing structure.

In order to solve the above problem, a saddle-type vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a rear wheel, a drive source which rotates and drives the rear wheel, a body frame including a pivot shaft extending in the vehicle width direction, a swing arm which connects the pivot shaft and the rear wheel, a case body which supports accessories which are arranged between the drive source and the rear wheel, and a housing structure having an internal space for accommodating a fluid, wherein the housing structure includes a canister which adsorbs evaporative components of fuel supplied to the drive source, the canister being located below the case body and further being located between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel and in a position which overlaps with the swing arm in a side view.

The saddle-type vehicle disclosed herein can appropriately protect the housing structure while preventing the saddle-type vehicle from becoming larger.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 2 is a side view of the front-rear center portion of the motorcycle as viewed from the right side. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the front-rear center of the motorcycle as seen from the right side. FIG. 2 is a side view of the front-rear center portion of the motorcycle as viewed from the left side. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a front-rear central portion of a motorcycle as viewed from the left side. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the front-rear center portion of the motorcycle as viewed from the left side, taken along a cutting plane to the right of FIG. 5 . FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a lower portion of a bottom container portion in the battery case. FIG.

[Motorcycle body structure]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the right side. As shown in this figure, the motorcycle includes a vehicle body 1, a front wheel 2 and a rear wheel 3, an engine 5, a fuel tank 6, a seat 7, and a handlebar 8. The front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 are a pair of front and rear wheels that movably support the vehicle body 1. The engine 5 is a drive source that generates a driving force for rotating the rear wheel 3, in other words, a driving force for running the motorcycle, and is configured by, for example, a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The fuel tank 6 is a tank that stores fuel to be supplied to the engine 5. The seat 7 is a seat on which a rider who drives the motorcycle sits. The handlebar 8 is a steering handle that the rider grips when steering the front wheel 2. Thus, the motorcycle according to this embodiment is a two-wheeled automobile that runs by the driving force of the engine 5, and is a type of saddle-type vehicle.

The vehicle body 1 includes a vehicle body frame 11, a head portion 12, a front fork 13, and a swing arm 14. The vehicle body frame 11 is a frame structure that forms the skeleton of the vehicle body 1. The head portion 12 is a cylindrical member for holding the front fork 13 at the front end of the vehicle body frame 11. The front fork 13 is a member that connects the handlebars 8 and the front wheel 2. The swing arm 14 is a member that connects the vehicle body frame 11 and the rear wheel 3.

The vehicle body frame 11 has a main pipe 41, a lower pipe 42, a center pipe 43, a rear pipe 44, and a pivot shaft 45. The main pipe 41 is a pipe material that extends from the upper part of the head part 12 while slanting backward and downward. The lower pipe 42 is a pipe material that extends from the lower part of the head part 12 while slanting backward and downward, and is arranged so as to be inclined downward more than the main pipe 41. The center pipe 43 is a pipe material that extends from the middle part of the main pipe 41 while slanting backward and downward, and is arranged so that the distance between the center pipe 43 and the main pipe 41 increases toward the rear. The rear pipe 44 is a pipe material that extends from the lower end of the center pipe 43 while slanting backward and upward. The rear end (upper end) of the rear pipe 44 is connected to the rear end of the main pipe 41. The pivot shaft 45 is an axial member that extends in the vehicle width direction, and is connected to the front end of the rear pipe 44 (or the lower end of the center pipe 43).

The body frame 11 has a bilaterally symmetrical structure. That is, the above-mentioned pipe group 41 to 44 of the body frame 11 is provided not only on the right side of the body 1 shown in FIG. 1, but also on the left side of the body 1 (see FIG. 4 described below). In other words, the body frame 11 has a pair of main pipes 41 and a pair of lower pipes 42 that extend while branching out to the left and right from the head portion 12, a pair of rear pipes 44 connected to the rear ends of each main pipe 41, and a pair of center pipes 43 that connect the middle portions of each main pipe 41 to the front ends of each rear pipe 44.

A side cover 15 is attached to the side of the vehicle body 1. The side cover 15 is a cover that is attached to the vehicle body frame 11 so as to cover mainly the area of the side of the vehicle body 1 below the front of the seat 7.

Figure 2 is a side view of the front-rear center of the motorcycle as seen from the right side. Note that in Figure 2, the motorcycle is shown with covers including the side cover 15 and the seat 7 removed from the body 1. As shown in Figure 2, the body frame 11 further has an upper cross member 47 as a reinforcing member extending in the vehicle width direction. The upper cross member 47 is a member that connects the rear portions of the left and right main pipes 41 to each other.

The swing arm 14 is an arm that extends in the front-rear direction and connects the vehicle body frame 11 and the rear wheel 3. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 described later, the swing arm 14 includes a pair of left and right arm members 121 that extend from two positions on the left and right of the pivot shaft 45 toward the rear wheel 3, and a cross member 122 (Fig. 8) that extends in the vehicle width direction and connects the middle parts of each arm member 121. Each arm member 121 is pivotally supported at its front end by the pivot shaft 45, so that it can swing up and down around the pivot shaft 45. The rear wheel 3 is disposed between the pair of arm members 121 and is pivotally supported at the rear end of each arm member 121. In other words, the swing arm 14 supports the rear wheel 3 so that it can swing up and down relative to the vehicle body frame 11.

The rear of the swing arm 14 is connected to the rear end of the rear pipe 44 via a pair of left and right rear suspensions 17. The pair of rear suspensions 17 are shock-absorbing devices including springs, dampers, etc., and connect the rear of each arm member 121 of the swing arm 14 to the pair of rear pipes 44 in the vertical direction. The lower end of each rear suspension 17 is connected to the arm member 121 via a bracket 18 (Figure 1).

The front fork 13 is rotatably supported on the head portion 12 via a stem shaft (not shown). The handlebars 8 are attached to the upper end of the front fork 13, and the front wheel 2 is journaled on the lower end of the front fork 13.

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the front-rear center of the motorcycle, viewed from the right side. As shown in this figure, the fuel tank 6 has a storage space S therein for storing fuel to be supplied to the engine 5. The fuel tank 6 is supported by the body frame 11 at the upper front part of the body 1 above the engine 5. Specifically, the rear end of the fuel tank 6 is fastened and fixed to the upper cross member 47 via a bracket 96 (Figure 2). The front end of the fuel tank 6 is fastened and fixed to the front end of the main pipe 41 via a bracket (not shown). A fuel pump 95 (Figure 3) is attached inside the fuel tank 6. The fuel pump 95 pumps the fuel stored in the storage space S to the engine 5 through a fuel supply pipe (not shown).

Figure 4 is a side view of the front-rear center of the motorcycle, viewed from the left side. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the engine 5 includes a cylinder head 72, a cylinder block 73, and a crankcase 74. The cylinder head 72 and the cylinder block 73 are housings that contain a space (cylinder) in which fuel supplied from the fuel tank 6 is burned. The crankcase 74 is a case that rotatably houses the crankshaft, which is the output shaft of the engine 5. The rotation of the crankshaft, i.e., the output rotation of the engine 5, is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 via a transmission 78 and a chain 79 (Figure 4). The engine 5 is supported by the body frame 11 with the cylinder head 72 and other components fixed between the front of the main pipe 41 and the lower pipe 42.

A radiator 10 (Figure 1) is disposed in front of the engine 5. The radiator 10 is a heat exchanger that cools the cooling water introduced into the engine 5 through heat exchange.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, an air cleaner 9 is disposed between the engine 5 and the fuel tank 6. The air cleaner 9, which removes foreign matter from the intake air introduced into the engine 5, has a cleaner case 91 and a filter 92 disposed therein (see Figure 3). An intake pipe 75 extending from the cylinder head 72 is introduced into the inside of the cleaner case 91. That is, the intake pipe 75 connects the inside of the cleaner case 91 to the cylinder so that the intake air filtered by the filter 92 can be introduced into the cylinder of the engine 5. A throttle valve 76 for adjusting the flow rate of the intake air is disposed midway in the intake pipe 75.

The air cleaner 9 and the crankcase 74 are connected to each other by a blow-by hose 77. The blow-by hose 77 is a hose for returning unburned gas present inside the crankcase 74 to the intake pipe 75. The cleaner case 91 of the air cleaner 9 has an extension 91a (Figure 3) that protrudes downward from its rear end, and the upper end (downstream end) of the blow-by hose 77 is connected to the extension 91a.

The seat 7 is attached to the upper surface of the rear of the vehicle body 1, immediately behind the fuel tank 6. Specifically, the seat 7 is attached to the rear of the main pipe 41, etc., so as to cover from above the area including above the rear wheel 4.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, a side stand 19 is attached to the lower left side of the vehicle body 1. The side stand 19 is a stand used when parking the motorcycle, and can be moved between a usage state (Figure 1) in which it extends downward from the lower left side of the vehicle body 1, and a stored state (Figure 4) in which it flips up rearward from the usage state. When moved to the usage state, the side stand 19 supports the vehicle body in a state tilted to the left.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, a battery 80 is disposed between the engine 5 and the rear wheel 3. The battery 80 is a storage battery that stores electric power supplied from a generator (not shown) that generates electricity using the driving force of the engine 5. The battery 80 is supported by a battery case 81 that is fixed to the body frame 11 between the engine 5 and the rear wheel 3. The battery case 81 corresponds to the "case body" in this disclosure.

The battery case 81 is an integrally molded resin product, and includes a bottom wall 83, a front wall 84, a rear wall 85, a pair of left and right side walls 86, and a bottom container portion 87. The bottom wall 83 is a wall portion that supports the battery 80 from below. In detail, as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall 83 has a battery mounting portion 83a on which the battery 80 is placed, and an extension portion 83b that extends forward from the battery mounting portion 83a. The front wall 84 is a wall portion that extends upward from the front end of the bottom wall 83 (extension portion 83b). The rear wall 85 is a wall portion that extends from the rear end of the bottom wall 83 (battery mounting portion 83a) while inclining upward and backward. The pair of side walls 86 are wall portions that protrude upward from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall 83, and extend in the front-rear direction from both ends of the front wall 84 to both ends of the rear wall 85. The bottom container portion 87 protrudes downward from the bottom wall 83 and is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with a bottom portion 87a (FIG. 6) as the bottom. The bottom container portion 87 functions as a container that contains the reservoir tank 30 described below. The bottom container portion 87 corresponds to the "tank containing portion" in this disclosure.

The battery case 81 is fixed to the body frame 11 via first and second support pieces 113, 114 shown in Figures 2 and 4. The first support piece 113 protrudes rearward from the vertical middle part of the center pipe 43, and the second support piece 114 protrudes downward from the rear part of the rear pipe 44. The side walls 86 of the battery case 81 are fastened to the first and second support pieces 113, 114 via bolts or the like, so that the battery case 81 is fixed to the body frame 11 between the engine 5 and the rear wheel 3.

As shown primarily in FIG. 3, the upper end of the front wall 84 of the battery case 81 is adjacent to the extension 91a of the cleaner case 91. In other words, the battery case 81 is fixed to the body frame 11 in a positional relationship such that the upper end of its front wall 84 is adjacent to the rear lower end of the air cleaner 9.

A control unit 101 (Figure 3) is attached to the extension 83b of the bottom wall 83. The control unit 101 is a device that controls the engine 5, and includes electronic devices such as a processor and memory, as well as a power supply circuit.

[Canister and reservoir tank mounting structure]
5 and 6 are side cross-sectional views of the front-rear center of the motorcycle as viewed from the left side. Note that the positions of the cut surfaces are different between FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, and the cut surface of FIG. 6 is set to the right of the cut surface of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 8, a canister 20 and a reservoir tank 30 are attached to the battery case 81. The canister 20 is a collector that collects evaporated fuel gas, which is an evaporated component of fuel. The reservoir tank 30 is a tank that stores the cooling water W (FIG. 6) used in the engine 5.

The canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are arranged separately inside and outside the bottom container portion 87 of the battery case 81. That is, the reservoir tank 30 is arranged inside the bottom container portion 87, and the canister 20 is arranged outside the bottom container portion 87. The detailed structures of the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are explained below in order.

First, the reservoir tank 30 will be described in detail. As shown mainly in Figures 6 and 7, the reservoir tank 30 includes a tank body 31, a refill port 32, and a cap 33. The reservoir tank 30 has an elongated shape that is long in the vertical direction as a whole. In other words, the vertical dimension of the reservoir tank 30 is greater than both the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction dimensions. In addition, the tank body 31, the refill port 32, and the cap 33 are all made of resin.

The tank body 31 is a transparent or translucent hollow body having an internal storage space for the cooling water W. The tank body 31 has a shape that allows it to be inserted from above into the bottom container part 87 of the battery case 81. By inserting the tank body 31 from above into the bottom container part 87, most of the tank body 31, except for a part of its upper side, is contained inside the bottom container part 87. Here, the bottom container part 87 is formed so that the cross-sectional area decreases toward the bottom. This is to make it easier to remove the resin battery case 81 from the mold when molding it. In addition, a recess 87b (Figure 6) that is recessed forward is formed on the lower rear surface of the bottom container part 87. This is to avoid interference with the cross member 122 of the swing arm 14 that swings during driving. The tank body 31 has an outer shape that roughly follows the inner surface of the bottom container part 87 of this shape so that the gap between the tank body 31 and the bottom container part 87 is as small as possible. That is, the tank body 31 is formed so that its cross-sectional area decreases toward the bottom, and has a recess in the lower rear surface that corresponds to the recess 87b in the bottom container portion 87.

The refill port 32 is a cylindrical body that protrudes upward from the tank body 31. Both ends of the refill port 32 are open so that the coolant W can be refilled through the refill port 32. As shown in FIG. 7, the refill port 32 is connected to the tank body 31 in a position tilted to the right. In other words, the refill port 32 is tilted so that its upper end is located outward (to the right) in the vehicle width direction relative to its lower end.

The cap 33 is a cap that closes the opening at the top end of the supply port 32 and is removably attached to the top end of the supply port 32. The tank body 31 is refilled with cooling water W with the cap 33 removed from the supply port 32.

Here, the bottom container portion 87 that houses the reservoir tank 30 is formed in a position that is biased toward the right side of the battery case 81. Therefore, the reservoir tank 30 is positioned so that its center is offset to the right with respect to the vehicle width center CL (FIG. 7) of the vehicle body 1. Also, as described above, in this embodiment, the refill port portion 32 is formed so as to be inclined to the right. Therefore, the upper end of the refill port portion 32 is positioned at a position farther to the right than the vehicle width center CL. In this embodiment, since the side stand 19 (FIG. 4) is attached to the left side of the vehicle body 1, the center of the reservoir tank 30 is positioned on the opposite side of the side stand 19 across the vehicle width center CL. In other words, the reservoir tank 30 is positioned so that it is offset to the opposite side of the side stand 19 with respect to the vehicle width center CL.

As shown primarily in FIG. 6, a pressing plate 141 for fixing the reservoir tank 30 is attached to the battery case 81. The pressing plate 141 is a plate-shaped member formed to extend in the front-rear direction passing directly above the tank body 31. Both front and rear ends of the pressing plate 141 are fixed to the battery case 81 at the front and rear of the reservoir tank 30, respectively. In other words, the pressing plate 141 holds the reservoir tank 30 in a fixed position within the bottom container portion 87 by sandwiching the tank body 31 between itself and the bottom 87a of the bottom container portion 87.

2 and 3, a notch V is formed on the right side (outside in the vehicle width direction) of the bottom container portion 87. The notch V is a notch for checking the water level of the cooling water W in the reservoir tank 30 (tank body 31). That is, by viewing the battery case 81 from the side from the right side of the vehicle body 1, the tank body 31 inside the bottom container portion 87 can be seen through the notch V. As described above, since the tank body 31 is transparent or translucent, the water level of the cooling water W stored inside the tank body 31 can also be confirmed by viewing the tank body 31 through the notch V. At this time, it is desirable to mark the tank body 31 exposed by the notch V with a scale so that the high or low water level of the cooling water W can be easily determined.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a cooling water hose 34 is connected to the bottom of the tank body 31. The cooling water hose 34 is a hose that connects the radiator 10 (Figure 1) and the reservoir tank 30. The end of the cooling water hose 34 on the reservoir tank 30 side is connected to the bottom of the tank body 31 so as to communicate with the storage space for the cooling water W (inside the tank body 31). The cooling water W in the reservoir tank 30 is supplied to the radiator 10 through the cooling water hose 34. The cooling water W supplied to the radiator 10 circulates between the engine 5 and the radiator 10. In other words, the reservoir tank 30 is a housing structure having a storage space for the cooling water W (fluid) supplied to the engine 5.

An extension 88 is formed on the lower side of the bottom container part 87. As shown in FIG. 9, the extension 88 is formed to protrude downward from the periphery of the bottom part 87a of the bottom container part 87 so as to cover the periphery of the cooling water hose 34. That is, the cooling water hose 34 is arranged so as to extend downward from the bottom part 87a of the bottom container part 87 and then change direction to the front. The extension 88 is formed to cover the part of the cooling water hose 34 that extends downward from the bottom part 87a from the rear and both the left and right sides. Specifically, the extension 88 has a rear guard wall 88a located behind the cooling water hose 34, and a left guard wall 88b and a right guard wall 88c located on the left and right sides of the cooling water hose 34.

Next, the canister 20 will be described in detail. As shown mainly in Figures 5 and 8, the canister 20 includes an adsorbent 21 made of activated carbon or the like that adsorbs evaporated fuel gas, and a resin housing 22 that contains the adsorbent 21 inside. The canister 20 has an elongated shape that is long in the vertical direction as a whole. In other words, the vertical dimension of the canister 20 is greater than both the vehicle width direction and the front-rear direction dimensions.

As shown in FIG. 5, a first purge pipe 24 and a second purge pipe 25 are connected to the upper surface of the housing 22 of the canister 20. The first purge pipe 24 is a pipe that connects the fuel tank 6 and the canister 20. The second purge pipe 25 is a pipe that connects the intake pipe 75 and the canister 20. The ends of the purge pipes 24, 25 on the canister 20 side are connected to the upper surface of the housing 22 so as to communicate with the storage space of the adsorbent 21 (inside the housing 22).

The evaporated fuel gas generated inside the fuel tank 6 is introduced into the housing 22 of the canister 20 through the first purge pipe 24 and adsorbed (collected) by the adsorbent 21. The adsorbed evaporated fuel gas is introduced into the intake pipe 75 through the second purge pipe 25 and supplied to the engine 5 through the intake pipe 75. In other words, the canister 20 is a housing structure having a storage space for the evaporated fuel gas (fluid) supplied to the engine 5.

5 and 7, the canister 20 is fixed to the battery case 81 via a bracket 131. The bracket 131 is attached along the left side surface of the bottom container portion 87 of the battery case 81 so as to support the canister 20 in the vicinity of the left side of the bottom container portion 87 of the battery case 81. Specifically, the bracket 131 includes an upper fixing portion 132 fixed to the bottom wall 83 of the battery case 81, a lower fixing portion 134 fixed to the bottom container portion 87 of the battery case 81 at a position spaced downward from the upper fixing portion 132, a back support portion 133 formed between the upper and lower fixing portions 132, 134, and a lower end support portion 135 protruding outward (leftward) from the lower end of the lower fixing portion 134. The upper fixing portion 132 and the lower fixing portion 134 are fixed to the battery case 81 via fastening members such as bolts or adhesives. The back support portion 133 is a portion that abuts against the back surface of the canister 20, and is formed so that it protrudes slightly toward the canister 20 (left side) beyond the lower fixing portion 134. The lower end support portion 135 is a portion that supports the canister 20 from below, and is formed so that it protrudes further to the left than the back support portion 133.

The back support portion 133 has retaining pieces 133a on both sides in the width direction (front-rear direction of the vehicle body). Each retaining piece 133a is arranged so as to follow both side surfaces of the canister 20, i.e., the front and rear faces of the vehicle body of the canister 20. The canister 20 is fixed in a fixed position on the bracket 131 by being sandwiched between the retaining pieces 133a of the back support portion 133 and supported from below by the lower end support portion 135. In this embodiment, a rubber band 137 that connects the retaining pieces 133a of the back support portion 133 is used as a means for fixing the canister 20 to the bracket 131. The rubber band 137 is attached so as to wrap around the canister 20, thereby fixing the canister 20 to the bracket 131.

The canister 20 is disposed at a distance below the bottom wall 83 of the battery case 81. In other words, the canister 20 is disposed so as to be separated from the battery 80 by the bottom wall 83.

As shown in FIG. 5, the canister 20 is arranged in a position tilted forward. That is, the canister 20 is arranged in a position tilted so that the upper end is located forward of the lower end, in other words, so that the upper surface of the housing 22 faces upward and forward. To achieve such a tilted position of the canister 20, the bracket 131 is formed so that the holding piece 133a is tilted forward with respect to the vertical plane and the lower end support part 135 is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane.

The inclined position of the canister 20 described above corresponds to the extension direction of the first and second purge pipes 24, 25 connected to the upper surface of the canister 20. That is, the first and second purge pipes 24, 25 are arranged so that they extend forward while curving from the upper surface of the canister 20. The canister 20 is arranged in an inclined position toward the front so that the upper surface of the canister 20 faces the extension direction (forward) of such purge pipes 24, 25.

Next, the positional relationship between the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 and the vehicle body 1 will be described. The canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are arranged between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 so as to partially overlap the swing arm 14 in a side view. In other words, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are arranged so that their lower parts are between the pair of left and right arm members 121 of the swing arm 14 when lined up in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the lower part of the canister 20, the lower part of the reservoir tank 30, and the pair of arm members 121 are arranged in a relationship in which they overlap multiple times in a side view.

In the plan view shown in FIG. 8, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed between the pivot shaft 45 and the cross member 122. That is, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed so as to overlap the pivot shaft 45 rearwardly and inwardly of the cross member 122 in a front-rear view, and so as to overlap the cross member 122 forwardly and inwardly of the cross member 122 in a front-rear view. In other words, the lower portions of the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed in an area surrounded by the pair of arm members 121, the pivot shaft 45, and the cross member 122.

The illustrated vertical position (height) of the swing arm 14 is the position under specified conditions, such as when the rear wheel 3 is on the ground and no rider is on the vehicle. Meanwhile, the swing arm 14 swings upward or downward from the illustrated position in response to the weight of the rider or load applied while riding. In this embodiment, the positions of the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are set so that the swing arm 14 partially overlaps the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 in a side view, regardless of where the swing arm 14 is located within such a swing range.

[Action and Effect]
As described above, in this embodiment, the canister 20 that adsorbs evaporated fuel gas and the reservoir tank 30 that stores cooling water W are disposed between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 at a position that overlaps with the swing arm 14 in a side view. This configuration has the advantage that the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 as housing structures can be appropriately protected while preventing the motorcycle from becoming larger.

That is, in this embodiment, the canister 20 is disposed between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3, so that the dead space between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 can be effectively used as a space for disposing the canister 20. This makes it unnecessary to secure a dedicated space for disposing the canister 20, and prevents the motorcycle from becoming larger due to the need to secure the space. In addition, the canister 20 is disposed at a position that overlaps with the swing arm 14 in a side view, in other words, between the pair of left and right arm members 121 of the swing arm 14, so that the canister 20 can be protected by the swing arm 14 (arm member 121) that covers the sides of the canister 20, and the possibility of a foreign object or the like colliding with the canister 20 from the side can be reduced.

In addition, in this embodiment, the reservoir tank 30 is disposed in the same position as the canister 20 (between the pair of arm members 121), so the dead space between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 can be effectively utilized as a placement space for the reservoir tank 30, and the reservoir tank 30 can be appropriately protected by the swing arm 14.

In particular, in this embodiment, the battery case 81 supporting the battery 80 is disposed between the engine 5 and the rear wheel 3, and the reservoir tank 30 is housed inside the bottom container portion 87, which is a part of the battery case 81, so that the reservoir tank 30 can be more appropriately protected. That is, since the reservoir tank 30 is housed inside the bottom container portion 87, the bottom container portion 87 can be used as a protective cover that covers and conceals the reservoir tank 30, and the possibility of a foreign object colliding with the reservoir tank 30 can be further reduced. Moreover, since a part of the battery case 81 supporting the battery 80 is used as the container portion (bottom container portion 87) for the reservoir tank 30, there is no need to provide a separate container portion for the reservoir tank 30, and the structure can be further simplified.

Unlike the reservoir tank 30, the canister 20 is not provided with any covers (corresponding to the bottom container portion 87) that directly protect the canister 20. However, since the canister 20 is protected by at least the swing arm 14, the absence of covers does not pose any particular problems. In this manner, in this embodiment, since no dedicated cover is provided for the canister 20, the number of parts can be reduced, making the motorcycle lighter.

In this embodiment, the canister 20 is disposed outside the bottom container portion 87, and the reservoir tank 30 is disposed inside the bottom container portion 87, and the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 can be disposed between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 while being dispersed inside and outside the bottom container portion 87, and a more efficient layout can be realized. In this case, although the canister 20 is located outside the bottom container portion 87, the swing arm 14 is present on the outside of the canister 20 in the vehicle width direction (on the left side in this embodiment), so that the swing arm 14 can prevent the canister 20 from being seen from the side, and the appearance of the motorcycle can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed at a relatively low position between the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 (or between the pair of arm members 121), so that the center of gravity of the vehicle body 1 can be lowered. That is, since the coolant W is stored inside the reservoir tank 30, the weight of the reservoir tank 30 including the coolant W is not small. On the other hand, the canister 20 contains evaporated fuel gas (gas), but since the adsorbent 21 that adsorbs the adsorbed fuel gas has a higher specific gravity than the gas, the weight of the canister 20 including the adsorbent 21 cannot be ignored. In this embodiment, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are disposed at a sufficiently low position, so that the center of gravity of the vehicle body 1 can be lowered, and the running stability of the motorcycle can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, since the reservoir tank 30 and the housing 22 of the canister 20 are both made of resin, the total weight of the motorcycle including the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 can be reduced. Even if the canister 20 (housing 22) and the reservoir tank 30 are made of resin, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are surrounded by the swing arm 14, etc., so there is a low possibility that the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 will be damaged. In other words, according to this embodiment, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 can be appropriately protected while reducing the weight of the motorcycle.

In addition, in this embodiment, the purge pipes 24, 25 are connected to the upper surface of the housing 22 of the canister 20 (see FIG. 5). With this configuration, the possibility of an obstacle on the road surface colliding with the purge pipes 24, 25 can be sufficiently reduced compared to, for example, a case in which the purge pipes 24, 25 are connected to the lower surface of the housing 22, and the purge pipes 24, 25 can be appropriately protected.

In addition, in this embodiment, the purge pipes 24, 25 are arranged so that they curve and extend forward from the upper surface of the housing 22, and the canister 20 is arranged in a posture tilted forward (see FIG. 5). With this configuration, the upper surface of the housing 22 faces upward and forward, so the curve angle of the purge pipes 24, 25 can be made small, and the purge pipes 24, 25 can be connected to the canister 20 without difficulty.

In addition, in this embodiment, the canister 20 is disposed outside the bottom container portion 87 and below the bottom wall 83 of the battery case 81 (see Figures 5 and 7). With this configuration, even if evaporated fuel gas leaks from the canister 20, the leaked evaporated fuel gas can be prevented from entering the inside of the battery case 81 (above the bottom wall 83). This sufficiently reduces the possibility of evaporated fuel gas reaching the vicinity of the electrode portion of the battery 80, improving safety.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cooling water hose 34 is connected to the bottom of the reservoir tank 30, and an extension 88 that covers the periphery of the cooling water hose 34 is formed on the underside of the bottom container portion 87 (see Figures 6 and 9). With this configuration, the cooling water hose 34 can be appropriately protected by the extension 88. In particular, the extension 88 is formed to cover the portion of the cooling water hose 34 that protrudes downward from the bottom portion 87a of the bottom container portion 87 from the rear and both the left and right sides, so that the cooling water hose 34 can be appropriately protected from foreign objects that may fly in mainly from the rear as the rear wheel 3 rotates.

In addition, in this embodiment, the reservoir tank 30 is positioned to the right side of the battery case 81 (the side opposite the side stand 19), and the refill port 32 of the reservoir tank 30 is formed to be tilted to the right (see FIG. 7). With this configuration, the upper end of the refill port 32 is sufficiently far to the right from the center CL of the vehicle width, so that the work of refilling the cooling water W through the refill port 32 can be easily performed from the right side of the vehicle body 1. In particular, when parking using the side stand 19, the vehicle body 1 tilts to the left, making it easier to see the upper end (cap 33) of the refill port 32 from the right side of the vehicle body 1, making the work of refilling the cooling water W easier.

In addition, in this embodiment, the rear of the swing arm 14 and the rear of the body frame 11 (rear pipe 44) are connected to each other via the rear suspension 17. With this configuration, unlike when, for example, the lower end of the rear suspension is connected to the front of the swing arm 14, there is no need to worry about the rear suspension 17 interfering with the canister 20 or the bottom container portion 87 (or the reservoir tank 30 therein), and the rear suspension 17 can be properly attached to the body 1 while ensuring space for the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the canister 20 that stores (adsorbs) the evaporated fuel gas supplied to the engine 5 and the reservoir tank 30 that stores the cooling water W supplied to the engine 5 are respectively positioned between a pair of left and right arm members 121 on the swing arm 14, in other words at a position that overlaps with the swing arm 14 in a side view, but other housing structures that store fluids other than evaporated fuel gas and cooling water W may also be positioned between the pair of arm members 121.

In the above embodiment, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction between the pair of arm members 121, but the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 may be arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. Also, only one of the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 may be arranged between the pair of arm members 121.

In the above embodiment, a battery case 81 is provided between the engine 5 and the rear wheels 3, and a battery 80 (auxiliary equipment) is attached to the battery case 81, but an auxiliary equipment other than the battery 80 may be attached to the battery case 81 (case body). In other words, the case body provided between the engine 5 and the rear wheels 3 may be a case body that supports some kind of auxiliary equipment, and the auxiliary equipment supported by the case body is not limited to a battery.

In the above embodiment, the reservoir tank 30 is housed inside the bottom container portion 87, which is part of the battery case 81, but the bottom container portion 87 may be omitted and the reservoir tank 30 may be disposed outside the battery case 81.

In the above embodiment, the swing arm 14 connecting the pivot shaft 45 and the rear wheel 3 includes a pair of left and right arm members 121, but the swing arm may be a so-called cantilever swing arm including a single arm member provided on only one of the left and right sides. In this case, the canister 20 or reservoir tank 30 as the housing structure may be positioned so as to overlap the single arm member in a side view.

In the above embodiment, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 overlap with the swing arm 14 in a side view no matter where the swing arm 14 is in its swing range, but the overlap may be released when the swing arm 14 is at or near the lower swing limit. In other words, the canister 20 and the reservoir tank 30 need only be positioned so as to overlap with the swing arm 14 in a side view at least when the swing arm 14 is swung upward.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the present disclosure was applied to a motorcycle, which is a type of saddle-type vehicle, but the present disclosure can also be applied to other saddle-type vehicles, such as three-wheeled vehicles and four-wheeled buggies.

[summary]
The above embodiment and its modified examples can be summarized as follows.

The saddle-type vehicle includes a rear wheel, a vehicle body frame including a pivot shaft extending in the vehicle width direction, a swing arm connecting the pivot shaft and the rear wheel, and a housing structure having an internal space for containing a fluid. The housing structure is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel and in a position overlapping with the swing arm in a side view.

In this embodiment, the housing structure is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel, so the dead space between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel can be effectively utilized as space for disposing the housing structure. This eliminates the need to secure a dedicated space for disposing the housing structure, and prevents the motorcycle from becoming larger due to the need to secure that space. In addition, since the housing structure is disposed at a position that overlaps with the swing arm in a side view, the swing arm that covers the side of the housing structure can protect the housing structure, reducing the possibility of foreign objects colliding with the housing structure from the side.

Preferably, the swing arm includes a pair of left and right arm members extending from two points on the pivot shaft in the vehicle width direction toward the rear wheel, and the housing structure is disposed between the pair of arm members.

In this embodiment, the housing structure can be adequately protected by the arm members on both the left and right sides of the housing structure.

The saddle-type vehicle may further include a drive source that rotates the rear wheel. In this case, it is preferable that the housing structure contains therein a fluid that is supplied to the drive source.

In this embodiment, the housing structure that contains the fluid used in the drive source can be adequately protected.

The housing structure may include a canister that adsorbs evaporated components of the fuel supplied to the driving source.

In this manner, the dead space between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel can be effectively utilized as space for locating the canister, and the canister can be adequately protected by the swing arm.

The saddle-type vehicle may further include a purge pipe connected to the upper surface of the canister. In this case, it is preferable that the purge pipe is arranged so as to extend in a predetermined direction while curving from the upper surface of the canister, and the canister is disposed in a position inclined toward the predetermined direction.

In this embodiment, the purge pipe is connected to the top surface of the canister, so compared to, for example, a case where the purge pipe is connected to the bottom surface of the canister, the possibility of an obstacle on the road surface colliding with the purge pipe can be sufficiently reduced, and the purge pipe can be appropriately protected. Also, because the canister is positioned in a position tilted toward the extension direction of the purge pipe, the curve angle of the purge pipe can be reduced, and the purge pipe can be connected to the canister without difficulty.

The housing structure may be a reservoir tank that stores cooling water to be supplied to the drive source.

In this configuration, the dead space between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel can be effectively utilized as space for locating the reservoir tank, and the reservoir tank can be adequately protected by the swing arm.

The saddle-type vehicle may further include a case body that supports an auxiliary device disposed between the drive source and the rear wheel. In this case, it is preferable that the case body includes a bottomed cylindrical tank housing portion that houses the reservoir tank.

In this embodiment, the reservoir tank is accommodated within the tank accommodation section, so that the tank accommodation section can be used as a protective cover that conceals the reservoir tank, further reducing the possibility of foreign objects colliding with the reservoir tank. Furthermore, because a portion of the case body that supports the auxiliary equipment is used as the reservoir tank accommodation section (tank accommodation section), there is no need to provide a separate reservoir tank accommodation section, further simplifying the structure.

In the above embodiment in which the reservoir tank is accommodated in the tank accommodation section, the saddle-type vehicle may further include a canister that adsorbs evaporated components of the fuel supplied to the drive source. In this case, it is preferable that the canister is disposed adjacent to the reservoir tank in the vehicle width direction on the outside of the tank accommodation section.

In this embodiment, the canister and reservoir tank can be placed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheels while being distributed inside and outside the tank housing, resulting in a more efficient layout.

Preferably, the saddle-type vehicle further includes a rear suspension that connects the rear of the swing arm to the rear of the vehicle frame.

In this way, when the rear suspension is connected to the rear of the swing arm, unlike when the rear suspension is connected to the front of the swing arm, there is no need to worry about the rear suspension interfering with the housing structure, and the rear suspension can be properly attached to the vehicle body while ensuring space for arranging the housing structure.

4: Rear wheels 5: Engine (power source)
11: Body frame 14: Swing arm 17: Rear suspension 20: Canister 24: First purge pipe (purge pipe)
25: Second purge pipe (purge pipe)
30: Reservoir tank 45: Pivot shaft 80: Battery (auxiliary)
81: Battery case (case body)
87: Bottom container part (tank housing part)
121: Arm member

Claims (8)

The rear wheel and
A drive source that drives and rotates the rear wheels;
a vehicle body frame including a pivot shaft extending in a vehicle width direction;
a swing arm connecting the pivot shaft and the rear wheel;
a case body for supporting an accessory disposed between the drive source and the rear wheels;
a housing structure having a fluid storage space therein;
the housing structure includes a canister that absorbs evaporated components of fuel supplied to the driving source ,
The canister is located below the case body, and is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel at a position overlapping with the swing arm in a side view of the saddle-type vehicle. The saddle type vehicle according to claim 1,
the swing arm includes a pair of left and right arm members extending from two positions on the pivot shaft in a vehicle width direction toward the rear wheel,
The housing structure is disposed between the pair of arm members. The rear wheel and
A drive source that drives and rotates the rear wheels;
a vehicle body frame including a pivot shaft extending in a vehicle width direction;
a swing arm connecting the pivot shaft and the rear wheel;
A housing structure having a space for storing a fluid therein;
and a purge pipe.
the housing structure includes a canister that absorbs evaporated components of fuel supplied to the driving source,
The purge pipe is arranged so as to extend in a predetermined direction while curving from an upper surface of the canister,
The canister is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel at a position overlapping with the swing arm in a side view, and is further disposed in a position inclined in the predetermined direction. The saddle type vehicle according to claim 3,
a reservoir tank that stores cooling water to be supplied to the driving source;
a cooling water hose connected to the bottom of the reservoir tank;
The reservoir tank and the canister are arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction. The rear wheel and
a vehicle body frame including a pivot shaft extending in a vehicle width direction;
a swing arm including a pair of arm members connecting the pivot shaft and the rear wheel;
A housing structure having a space for storing a fluid therein;
a case body supporting the housing structure,
the housing structure is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel and at a position overlapping with the swing arm in a side view,
The case body of this saddle-type vehicle comprises a bottom container portion located between the pair of arm members when viewed in the front-to-rear direction, and a bottom wall located above the swing arm and extending from an upper portion of the bottom container portion at least in the vehicle width direction. The saddle type vehicle according to claim 5 ,
A drive source that drives and rotates the rear wheel is further provided.
the housing structure is a reservoir tank that stores cooling water to be supplied to the driving source,
the reservoir tank includes an accommodation portion accommodated in the bottom container portion and a support portion extending outward in the vehicle width direction as viewed in the front-rear direction and supported by the bottom wall,
A saddle-type vehicle , wherein the support portion is provided with a refill port portion for refilling the reservoir tank with the cooling water . The rear wheel and
A drive source that drives and rotates the rear wheels;
a vehicle body frame including a pivot shaft extending in a vehicle width direction;
a swing arm connecting the pivot shaft and the rear wheel;
a case body for supporting an accessory disposed between the drive source and the rear wheels;
a canister that absorbs evaporated components of the fuel supplied to the driving source;
a reservoir tank that stores cooling water to be supplied to the driving source ,
the case body includes a bottomed cylindrical tank housing portion that houses the reservoir tank,
the reservoir tank is disposed between the pivot shaft and the rear wheel and at a position overlapping with the swing arm in a side view,
The canister is disposed outside the tank housing portion so as to be adjacent to the reservoir tank in a vehicle width direction. The saddle-type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The saddle-type vehicle further includes a rear suspension connecting a rear portion of the swing arm and a rear portion of the body frame.

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